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LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY. I73
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And then he unfolded the letter and read as follows:
(c DORINCOURT CASTLE
‘“ My dear Mr. Hobbs
‘““T write this in a great hury becaus 1 have something curous to tell you 1 know you
will be very mutch suprised my dear frend when itel you. It is all a mistake and 1
am not a lord andi shall not have to be an earl there is a lady whitch was marid to
my uncle bevis who is dead and she has a little boy and he 1s lord fauntleroy becaus
that is the way it is in England the earls eldest sons little boy is the earl if every body
elseis dead 1 mean if his farther and grandfarther are dead my grandfarther is not dead but
my uncle bevis is and so his boy is lord Fauntleroy and 1 am not becaus my papa was
the youngest son and my name is Cedric Errol like it was when 1 was in New York
and all the things will belong to the other boy i thought at first 1 should have to give
him my pony and cart but my grandfarther says i need not my grandfarther is very
sorry and i think he does not like the lady but preaps he thinks dearest and 1 are sorry
because i shall not be an earl i would like to be an earl now better than 1 thout 1 would
at first becaus this is a beautifle castle and i like every body so and when you are rich
you can do so many things i am not rich now becaus when your papa is only the
youngest son he is not very rich i am going to learn to work so that 1 can take care of
dearest i have been asking Wilkins about grooming horses preaps 1 might be a groom
or a coachman. the lady brought her little boy to the castle and my grandfarther and
Mr. Havisham talked to her i think she was angry she talked loud and my grandfarther
was angry too i never saw him angry before i wish it did not make them all mad 1 thort
i would tell you and Dick right away becaus you would be intrusted so no more at
present with love from
“ vour old frend ( CEDRIC ERROL (Not lord Fauntleroy).”
Mr. Hobbs fell back in his chair, the letter dropped on his
knee, his pen-knife slipped to the floor, and so did the envelope.
c Well!” he ejaculated, "I am jiggered !
He was so dumfounded that he actually changed his exclama¬
tion. It had always been his habit to say, “I weé/ be jiggered,
but this time he said, “I am jiggered.” Perhaps he really was jig¬
gered. There is no knowing.
c Well,” said Dick, "the whole thing "s bust up, has nt it?”